CRIME PUNISHED.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20731, 16 December 1932, Page 4

CRIME PUNISHED.

FOUR PRISONERS SENTENCED.

Four prisoners who had pleaded guilty in the lower Court appeared before Ms Honour Mr Justice Ostler in the Supremo Court yesterday on various charges. Seventeen Charges. Wallace Mansell Jones, aged 27 years, had admitted committing 17 charges of breaking and entering. Mr E. S. Bowie said that prisoner was a married man and had been unemployed for some months. Shortly after his marriage 19 months ago, he became unemployed. Ho had purchased a house and furniture on the instalment plan and being unable to keep up payments had been compelled to give up his home. Besides maintaining his .wife he had been assisting her mother and three sisters. All this ho had endeavoured to do on relief wages. Mr Bowio added that prisoner waj a good workman, who did not smoke, Crink, or gamble. He gave the police all assistance possible when arrested. His Honour said that no doubt prisoner had had to suffer hardship, but there was no excuse for his crimes, the value of the goods stolen being about £IOOO. In 1924 prisoner was convicted and admitted to probation, which had evidently not reformed him. In the circumstances prisoner would be sentenced to a period of reformative detention not to exceed three years on each charge, tho sentences to be concurrent. Torged Testimonials. "Forgery is a serious crime and you havo committed three forgeries. Moreover, you have not got a good report, but I will take into consideration the fact that you assisted the police and will accordingly make your sentence a light one," said his Honour to James Garnold Heath, aged 32 yoars, who appeared on three charges of forging testimonials, used by him to obtain a position. Mr M. J. Burns stated that tho prisoner was a married man with no family. Except for the present trouble prisoner had been bofore tho Court on only one previous occasion, in respect of a stolen typewriter, for which he was now serving a sentence of a month's imprisonment. Ho had obtained no financial benefit from the present crime. No doubt the fact that pressure had been put on him to pay arrears of his wife's maintenance had a good deal to do with his position, as also had bad companionship. He was a man with some electrical qualifications, which might have entitled him to a position such as ho had applied for at Kaikoura. Every assistance had been given to tho Crown by the prisoner to enable the case to bo cleared up. Prisoner was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. "Too Good To Turn Criminal." "You are far too good a type of man to turn criminal," said his Honour to Horace Neil Christensen, who had pleaded guilty to three charges of breaking and entering a shop and committing theft, and o£ committing similar offences jointly with John Selwyn Wiggs. After reading a. statement put m by prisoner his Honour said that ho believed it was a genuine expression of regrot. Prisoner had previously borne a good character. The Probation Officer thought that if prisoner was given another chance ho would not come before the Court again, but did not recommend probation. Taking a longer view of the caso, however, his Honour said that he considered that it would be in the public interest to grant probation. Probably prisoner's position was due to tho economic conditions. Prisoner would bo admitted to probation for two years. "See to it that you do not come before the Court again," said his Honour to prisoner. John Selwyn Wiggs was charged with breaking and entering a shop and committing theft. Asked by his Honour if ho could explain tho possession of blank keys and a plaster cast of safe keys, prisoner said that they had been given to him 15 months ago to be made. He would not make them nor give them back. "It would have been better to destroy them," said his Honour. Prisoner was convicted and admitted to probation for two years.